Christmas lights not working? Start here.
Pick the symptom. Every one of these has a straight answer, and several of them cost nothing to fix.
Lights keep tripping the GFCI
The outlet clicks off within minutes of switching the display on, and resetting it only buys you a few hours.
Almost always water in a plug-to-plug joint sitting on wet ground.
Half the string is out
One half or one section of the string is dark while the rest lights normally.
One failed bulb is breaking a series section - a tester finds it in about a minute.
Whole string is dead
An entire string is dead - not a section, the whole thing - while other strings on the same run are fine.
Check the fuse hidden in the plug. It is the most missed fix in the category.
Lights are flickering
The lights shimmer, pulse or cut in and out instead of holding steady.
A loose bulb or a damp connection - though some LED flicker is normal and harmless.
Dim at the far end
The first strings look right, the last ones look dim, yellowish or slightly orange.
Voltage drop from chaining too many sets. Split the run and feed it from two points.
Dead after storage
Strings that were working perfectly when they came down are dead or partly dead coming back out.
Usually a blown fuse, a crushed socket, or a Georgia attic summer.
Before you throw a string away
Most Christmas lights that get thrown away were repairable. The three failures we see over and over are a blown fuse in the plug, one dead bulb taking out a section, and moisture in a plug-to-plug joint, and all three cost a few dollars or nothing at all to fix. LEDs themselves are rated for tens of thousands of hours; what actually fails is nearly always physical or electrical.
The pages above are the same diagnostic order our crews work through on a service call, written out. Start at the top of each one: the most common cause really is the most common cause.
If your lights are fine and you are planning rather than repairing, the light planner sizes a whole display, and the buying guides cover what to buy so this happens less next year.
In metro Atlanta and want someone else to deal with it?
We install across metro Atlanta, from Alpharetta and Marietta to Buckhead and Lawrenceville. On displays we install, in-season repairs are included; nobody should be on a ladder in December chasing a dead bulb. Call (470) 777-7443.
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